MELBOURNE, Fla. – All five starters for the Florida Tech men's basketball team reached double-digit scoring as the Panthers came from behind for the second straight night and defeated Georgia Southwestern State, 84-74, in the final game of the Health First Winter Classic.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 84, Georgia Southwestern State 74
Records: Florida Tech (9-1, 2-1 SSC), GSW (7-2, 0-0 PBC)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• Both teams traded a few baskets to begin the game. A layup by Lars Nilsen sparked an 8-0 run for GSW that put them up 11-4 at the 13:51 mark of the half.
• An 8-3 run for the Panthers over the next two minutes was capped off by three made free throws by Chase Thompson to cut the lead down to 14-12.
• Niall Harris knotted the game at 18-18 with a layup and David McCullough knocked down a jumper to take the lead for Tech, 20-18, with nine minutes remaining in the first half.
• A few minutes later, back-to-back baskets by Jordan Johnson put the Hurricanes up 24-21. On the following possession, McCullough converted a tough three-point play to knot the game again with 4:36 left on the clock.
• The teams traded a few more baskets, but GSW knocked down a triple at the end of the half to take a 34-30 lead into halftime.

 
SECOND HALF:

• Rahsaan Edwards and Niall Harris sank back-to-back treys to open the second half and retake the lead for the Panthers, 36-34.
• The back-and-forth continued for the next few minutes. With the game tied at 43-43, Tech rolled out a 9-0 run, capped by a fast break layup from McCullough, to make it 52-43 and force the Hurricanes to take a timeout with 14:30 left to play.
• A few minutes later, a quick 7-2 run for GSW cut the Panthers' lead down to 59-55 with 10:34 on the clock.
• Coming out of a media timeout, Nilsen knocked down back-to-back threes to bring the Hurricanes to within one, 59-58, with 8:47 remaining.
• An 8-1 run bookended by a jumper and a trey by Harris extended Tech's lead out to 67-59 at the 6:13 mark.
• Back-to-back triples from Edwards gave the Panthers their largest lead of the day, 75-64, with just over four minutes left on the clock.
• GSW mounted a comeback in the final minute and brought the lead down to 80-74 with 18 seconds left, but Tech was able to put the game away at the charity stripe and come away with the 84-74 victory.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Tonight's player of the game, presented by Health First, was David McCullough. The graduate student played all 40 minutes and scored a career-high 33 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including 12-for-16 from the charity stripe. McCullough also fell one rebound shy of a double-double.
• Niall Harris scored 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting. He also added seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
• Elias Martin and Rahsaan Edwards each added 13 points. Martin also grabbed five boards and blocked two shots while Edwards led the team with five assists and had three rebounds.
• Chase Thompson added 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the floor, including 42.1 percent (8-for-19) from beyond the arc, and 83.9 percent (26-for-31) from the free throw line.
• GSW shots 44.8 percent (30-for-67) from the floor, including 40 percent (10-for-25) from three-point range, and 57.1 percent (4-for-7) from the free throw line.
• In the team's first-ever meeting, Florida Tech moves to 1-0 against GSW.
• This is Tech's best start pre-New Year's start since the 2013-14 team went 11-1 before changing calendars.
• With his final assist of the night, Niall Harris recorded his 200th career assist.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will have some time off for the holidays before returning to action in the New Year. The Panthers will continue SSC play at home against Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Clemente Center.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Florida Tech men's basketball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.